


Smug Smirks and Aggravated Sighs

by Super_Caballero



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-26 14:33:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6243223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Super_Caballero/pseuds/Super_Caballero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a close encounter with the First Order, Jacks, an informant for the resistance, is taken back to the base on D'Quar and put under Dryden's charge much to his chagrin. The boisterous and unpredictable Jacks finds himself forming a connection with the straight-laced and dutiful Dryden. Will anything stronger than a friendship develop, or will Jacks constant games ruin even that?</p>
<p>----</p>
<p>Takes place soon after TFA. Starring OC's, with occasional cameos and guest stars from Leia, Poe, Finn, and the rest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Less than Ideal Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While collecting intel for the Rebel Alliance, Jacks gets found out by the First order. He sends out a distress signal and manages to avoid them until they chase him into a forest. How will he get out of this one?

The young man’s eyes were wide. They scanned the area as quickly as they could, his feet never pausing for a second. He quickly scrambled over a small rocky hill, ducking over a low hanging branch at its top. He was panting heavily and his heart beat so hard, he could feel the veins in his temples throbbing. He couldn’t stop though. He had to keep going. He could hear the fall of footsteps behind him, they were close. He quickly veered to the right and kept running as fast as he could. As long as he stayed in the forest he stood a-

“Kriff.”

Jacks had just run into a clearing. Which would have been bad enough, had the clearing not already been occupied Stormtroopers, their blasters at the ready. With a heavy sigh, Jacks slowed his sprint into a jog, and then to a walk. He spun in place and watched as more Stormtroopers caught up with him, surrounding him in the clearing.

Jacks cursed under his breath. Where was the damn extraction squad?! Looking straight ahead he witnessed a man clad in black attire approach him. Hi blue eyes showed a mixture of boredom, determination and contempt, and pierced right through Jacks.

“So, you’re one of the rebel informants.” His tone of voice was smug and condescending.

Jacks dusted himself and straightened his back. He placed his weight on his right leg, crossed his arms, and smirked.

“I am, although pity for you I’m not one of the good ones.”

The man was not amused. He gestured and like a well-oiled machine the Stormtroopers raised their blasters, and six crosshairs were trained on the mouthy young man.

“Hey, hey, hey! Sorry, didn’t know a sense of humor was a crime!” Jacks’ hands shot up as he attempted to make himself as unthreatening as possible.

“You rebels are always so mouthy, it’s a terrible thing to be.” The man clad in black paced back and forth. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you only to speak when spoken to?”

Jacks gave the man a look that seemed to say ‘Fine, I’ll play your game.’

“Oh, good, at least you are capable of learning.” The man walked up to Jacks; his face cold and expressionless. “Now, you can cooperate, or we can take you with us and wring out whatever information we need from you.”

Jacks took a step forward. The man quickly raised his hand and the storm troopers readied themselves to shoot.

“No, no. If you enjoy living you won’t try any fast ones.”

“Look, I get it. I get why you’re doing what you’re doing.” Jacks’ voice was light, arrogant. “I think the same way. You’re born, you live, you die. One person, on one planet, in one system, in one galaxy.” Jacks turned his head and looked at the red headed officer out of the corner of his eye. It was a small act of defiance that was easily read. “We all want to think we’re important, but with odds like that, it’s impossible. Even if by some stroke of luck we manage to leave a small legacy, eventually time washes it away. So me, I’ve just accepted it. I if it all means nothing, then I’ve just got to find what matters to me.”

Jacks looked down and chuckled.

“But you,” he pointed at the seething general. “You have decided that if your legacy is just going to be erased by time, you just need a bigger one. Yet, here’s the dirty little secret that just gnaws at you in the back of your mind. The bigger the legacy the longer it lasts, but still, no matter how big, everything comes to an end. It’s actually kind of sad how pathetically afraid you are of this one fact.”Jacks locked eyes with the general a haughty smile on his lips.

The general was trembling with rage. How dare this insolent rebel scum speak to him like that? He glared at the young man for a moment, trying to regain his composure. Finally managing to regain control of his emotions, his face softened. An amused smile donned his lips, he turned and began to walk away.

“Stormtroopers-“

His order was interrupted by blaster fire. Overhead a small squad of rebel soldiers in an armored transporter shot at them. The Stormtroopers quickly forgot about the informant in front of them and began returning fire at the enemy ship. Jacks witnessed the chaos that suddenly ensued all around him and dropped to his knees.

“Thank the force!”

“The informant!” Jacks heard the general call. He scanned the area quickly. The rebel squad had managed to down two Stormtroopers already leaving Jex an opening out of the clearing. A switch in his mind flipped and he went from fast talker to fast runner. Stormtroopers weren’t known for being the best shots in the galaxy and with the added distraction of the areal fire his odds of getting out alive were half way decent. They’d be better if he had some sort of cover-

Almost as if his internal monologue had been heard, a barrage of smoke grenades were launched at the ground. A thick, heavy smoke covered the clearing, it stung Jacks’ eyes and made it hard to breathe, but he pushed that to the back of his mind and ran.

Running with only a general idea of where he was going was hard. You only saw obstacles right before encountering them and had merely a split second to react. Yet everything continued to go smoothly for him. He made it to the edge of the clearing and hurried into the forest. The smoke managed to thin out a little but everything around him was still obscured, he was fine with this though, as hunting a lone individual in a smoke filled forest sounded like a deck stacked in his favor. Feeling a bit safer in this environment he slowed a little. He considered stopping to catch his breath for a second, but with all the smoke surrounding him, it seemed impractical.

His heart stopped. He felt it drop to past the pit of the stomach to the depths of this damned planet he was on. He felt a hand grab his arm and all hope of ever getting out of here alive disappeared faster than a hutt’s favorite meal. Dumbfounded, he turned to face his captor and for the second time throughout this entire ordeal he sighed in relief.

“You’re part of the extraction team!”

“Yes. Jackson Carmillo, we’re going to get you out of here.”

“Thank you, thank you so much.” Jacks grabbed the man’s hands and looked him straight in the eyes.

“It’s perfectly fine, it’s my job.” He nodded and turned and began walking.

“Just one tiny little thing.” The soldier stopped in his tracks, turned and gave him look.

“Yes?”

“Next time you go rescue someone, if it isn’t too much of a hassle, would you mind getting there BEFORE just in the nick of time?”

“Right now, you want to do this right now?!”

“Look, all I’m saying is if I hadn’t monologued long enough to buy you guys some time, I’d be dead right now.”

The soldier grabbed Jacks and began moving. The rendezvous point was near, and he was not about to have this mission fail because their target didn’t quite enjoy how he was rescued.

–

“General Organa, we managed to rescue Jackson Carmillo.” He handed the general a small chip. “This is all the intel he obtained. The mission was a success, not a single casualty.”

The general nodded and took the chip. She walked over a console and inserted it. She quickly glanced over the information and gave a small smile.

“If I may be so bold- what information is in there?” The soldier asked hushed.

“It’s a list of weapons and components purchased or commandeered by the First Order. Who the suppliers were and where the supplies are headed.” General Organa explained.

“So, just supplies? Is there anything actually important in there?”

“Supplies are important. It may not be the most glamorous intel, but it’s great at filling in the holes that the more important reports tend to have.”

“I see. General Organa, what are we going to do with Mr. Carmillo?”

“That’s a very good question. Dryden, Jacks might not be the easiest informant to get along with but he is very talented.”

“At bringing back supply intel?”

“At coming back alive. There is a certain value in an informant who cares more about his life than his mission.” There was a certain note of humor in the general’s voice.

“That doesn’t sound very heroic to me.”

“There’s a time and place for heroics, Dryden, intel is not one of them. Partial intel and a live informant is better than neither.”

Dryden considered what the general was saying as he watched her continue to inspect the supply information Jacks had retrieved. Everything she said made sense. War wasn’t about heroic deaths, after all after a certain point the number of heroic deaths just highlighted which side was closer to losing. But somehow the thought of that man being a somewhat valuable asset to the resistance… it seemed wrong.

“In case you had any doubts about Jacks, look.” General Organa highlighted an item on the screen. She pressed a few buttons and the screen shifted. The item slid to the bottom of a list. “This is a list of highly specialized components we have been compiling for the past six weeks, all headed to the same place. Every single item on this list was gathered by Jacks. Thanks to him we now know that not only does the First Order have military presence on this planet but also that they seem to be developing a new type of Starfighter, most likely upgrading their TIE fighters.”

“So he’s useful, point taken. So what now, just send him back to the field?”

“No, I’m not that foolish and neither is he. The First Order is going to be looking for him. To send him back out would be to send him to his death. We have to keep him safe.”

“So we’re keeping him here then?” The general nodded. “For how long?”

“Well the information he gathered doesn’t seem particularly important, especially on its own, but he did escape capture by the First Order. So it’s difficult to say.”

“Hux.” Dryden’s eyes widened in realization. “He escaped Hux. And mouthed off to him too.”

“Well, I guess it’s safe to say he won’t be leaving the base anytime soon.” General Organa knew Jacks, she knew he enjoyed pushing other people’s buttons, and Hux was all buttons. “So for now, we are keeping him here.”

“Very well. I’ll make sure to take him to the operations office. They should help him get settled in.”

“Dryden, before you leave, I have one more favor to ask you.” Dryden paused and gave her a quizzical look. “As I’m sure you found out during the extraction mission, Jacks can be a bit… difficult to get along with. Would you mind keeping an eye on him? Make sure he doesn’t get into trouble?”

“General, I’m not even the leader of my squadron! Shouldn’t this be Aya’s responsibility?” Dryden was flabbergasted by the suggestion. After having to listen to Jacks explain in detail all the things wrong with the rescue mission until they reached the base, he wasn’t too keen on the idea of being his baby sitter.

“I’m not sure their… temperaments would mesh very well.” Which was a fair observation. Aya had very low tolerance for… well pretty much anything, and Jacks was… well, everything she had no tolerance for. “Dryden, I know Jacks isn’t the most agreeable person in the galaxy, but we owe this to him. Please, think of it as a personal favor to me.” General Organa gave Dryden a tender look. It was this motherly look that the general could give so well. Dryden’s insides churned, and he sighed.

“Fine general, I’ll do it as a personal favor to you. I’ll make sure he settles in without too much trouble. Now, would that be all?”

General Organa nodded. “That would be all. You’re dismissed.”

Dryden nodded. His shoulders were slumped and he seemed to carry the world on his shoulders, but that was nothing new. Dryden was a good soldier, serious and dedicated. He might have been a little high strung but, for the most part he knew how to roll with the punches. Out of his entire squadron he really was the most capable of dealing with a character like Jacks, and General Organa was glad he accepted this responsibility. Partly because she wanted to see how a promising leader like himself would deal with difficult characters like this one;

partly because she herself had no desire of dealing with difficult characters like Jacks.


	2. Curls and Coms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a close encounter with the First Order, Jacks, an informant for the resistance, is taken back to the base on D'Quar and put under Dryden's charge much to his chagrin. The boisterous and unpredictable Jacks finds himself forming a connection with the straight-laced and dutiful Dryden. Will anything stronger than a friendship develop, or will Jacks constant games ruin even that?
> 
> \----
> 
> Takes place soon after TFA. Starring OC's, with occasional cameos and guest stars from Leia, Poe, Finn, and the rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dryden is caught off guard by Jacks request to go back to Luthnar. Jacks says it's to meet a contact, but is it really? What could Jacks be scheming?

Jacks ran his hands through a shaggy mane of thick black curls and sighed. He had snatched some hair gel from Dryden, but it wasn’t quite doing the job. Frowning into the mirror, he thought back to all the things he had left back at his home on Luthnar. Amongst them the gel that gave his hair a charming coil and a serum that kept frizz at bay. He was disappointed, but nonetheless ready for the day. He put on a smug smirk and mischievous twinkle in his warm brown eyes and left his quarters.  
  
Waiting for him outside his door was his appointed babysitter Dryden.  
  
Dryden was a handsome man. A couple inches taller than Jacks, with thick, straight, dark hair cut somewhat short. His tanned skin was a shade or so darker than Jacks’ and his dark brown eyes were serious although lacking a certain hardness. Usually.  
  
“Jacks.” His eyes narrowed as they met Jacks’. “I’ve heard you’ve been looking for a ride back to Luthnar.” His voice was dry with just the slightest hint of annoyance.  
  
“Can’t this conversation wait until after breakfast? I’m starving.”  
  
After three days of babysitting the informant, Dryden had quickly learned that it was usually easier to humor Jacks than it was to fight him. Dryden nodded, and they began walking to the mess hall.  
  
Jacks began chatting with him, his tone somehow both friendly and aloof. After being berated on his rescuing skills, having Jacks interact with him in what passed for friendly conversation was rather bewildering at first. Yet he persevered, and over the course of the last three days he was rewarded with a very valuable lesson:  
  
When Jacks wanted to be obstinate, he was a terror. When Jacks wanted to be charming, he was tolerable.  
  
Standing in line to pick up their breakfast they watched as a round orange, astromech droid rolled in beeping wildly. He rolled to a table on the far side of the mess hall where a group of soldiers clad in orange jumpsuits gathered around it and listened attentively. After it was presumably done relaying its’ message they watched as one of the soldiers sat there, open mouthed and incredulous for a few moments. Eventually his friends started hollering at him and pushing him, gesturing him to go. He turned to face them bewildered, and their responses just became more intense. It took a moment for him to process the events, but eventually his face became a giant grin, he stood, and he ran.  
  
“What was that?” Jacks asked as he gestured to the whole scene.  
  
“That was Poe Dameron.” Dryden responded with a sigh and grin. “Best pilot of the Resistance and X-wing commander.”  
  
Jacks raised an eyebrow. “Well, yes, fine. But what just happened over there?” He asked and gestured again.  
  
Dryden shrugged. “I’m not sure. I probably know as much as you do.”  
  
Jacks nodded and gave Dryden a moment of repose as he quieted and gave a strange look in the direction that Poe had left. They continued in a more or less comfortable silence as they filled their breakfast trays. Once they were they wandered over to a nearby table where Aya sat, alone as always. Dryden sat next to his older sister, and nodded a greeting to her. Jacks slid into the seat across from her.  
  
“Aya-“ Jacks nodded at her and gestured around his face with his index finger. “I’m liking that scarf today.” He referred to the black scarf decorated with multicolored BB units that was wrapped around her head and neck. He gave her a thumbs up.  
  
She responded with a nod of annoyed acknowledgement.  
  
As much as he loved and looked up to his older sister, Dryden would be the first to admit that Aya Rholar was an ill-tempered curmudgeon. If he had to guess, it was why Jacks seemed so enamored by her.  
  
At 30 years old, Aya was four years Dryden’s senior. She was the commander of his extraction squad and the team pilot. In spite of her temperament, Aya had always been a good big sister to him, protecting him from bullies when he was younger, showing him the ropes when he joined the resistance, and even attempting to teach him how to pilot. Although, the less said about that final endeavor the better.  
  
The three of them sat, Jacks chattering, Dryden with occasional input, and Aya in aggravated silence, for a few minutes before the last two members of the extraction squad showed up.  
  
Ricci Kents was a mountain of a woman standing at six feet even. She had warm brown eyes, long dark hair in a thick braid, and rich copper skin. She was a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and was often found wrestling with whoever dared to take her on. Make no mistake though, she was no hulking brute. In charge of Intel and Tracking, she was just as comfortable hacking enemy computers as she was punching Stormtroopers in the face. Ricci was tough and smart and she knew it.  
  
Then there was Tobias Tanik III. Called Tobes by most, he had pale skin, and fine dark hair. His dark eyes seemed to be permanently glued to the horizon as he wandered quietly through the world. He was of average height and build, the most notable thing about him his dreamy disposition. Often caught up in flights of fancy, Tobes tended to be easily forgotten. It had baffled Dryden how such an airhead had managed to become the Weapons Expert on their team, until he had seen the man in action.  
  
Let’s just say it wasn’t exactly rare in training for Tobes to down more targets than shots he’d fired.  
  
“Ricci, TT-3!” Jacks greeted them both with a smile.  
  
Ricci sat down and smiled and Tobes looked at Jacks pensively.  
  
“TT-3…” Tobes muttered to himself. “Like a droid...?”  
  
“Morning, Jacks. Terrorizing Dryden and Aya?” Ricci smirked.  
  
“Just trying to be friendly.” Jacks’ voice had a certain slyness to it, and his eyes a certain smug glint.  
  
“You’re trying to butter us up is what you’re trying to do.” Aya scoffed. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.” She raised an eyebrow at the man sitting across from her.  
  
Jacks chuckled and leaned back. “Fine, fine, I know when I’m caught.” He drummed hi spoon on the table for a moment, his face thoughtful, and then returned to eating his breakfast.  
  
Aya returned to her breakfast too, not for a single second about to fall for this trap. Tobes remained lost in his thoughts, evaluating the new nickname Jacks had given him. Ricci and Dryden however had been ensnared. They exchanged looks, knowing full well this was a trap yet curiosity gnawing at them all the same. Ricci looked pointedly at Dryden. He knew Jacks better, he should be the one that asks.  
  
“Jacks?” Dryden opened his mouth and sighed. “What do you need?”  
  
From beside him, he heard Aya sigh. She had been so close to a peaceful breakfast, so close. Resigned, she looked up at Jacks, her face tired and annoyed.  
  
“I need to go back to Luthnar.”  
  
“You’ve mentioned. So, are you suicidal?” Dryden’s face contorted in incredulous suspicion.  
  
“I have a meeting with a contact. I can’t miss it. That’s how you lose their trust.” Jacks’ voice seemed oddly serious. Almost as if he was telling the truth. Almost.  
  
“I’m sure getting chased by the First Order and getting rescued by us already blew your cover.” Ricci pointed out and chuckled.  
  
“No, I doubt it. I got caught over listening to some troopers. None of my usual contacts were there.” Jacks shrugged and smirked. “Besides, they don’t really know they’re contacts. They think we’re just drinking buddies.”  
  
Dryden saw Ricci give him a look. Certainly he wasn’t going through this trouble just to meet a friend and have a drink. Dryden shot Jacks a look that demanded he elaborate.  
  
“Look, these people make their deliveries and all they want to do after them is have a drink. You work up enough trust and you’d be surprised how chatty they can get.”  
  
“Jacks, you can tell us all the pretty little stories you want but unless General Organa gives us the go ahead, you’re staying here on this base.” Aya interrupted. All she wanted was for once to be able to eat breakfast in peace, without listening to scheming rats or the idiots they managed to convince. “So why are you wasting your breath?” She grabbed her tray and walked away.  
  
There was a silence at the table. Ricci and Dryden exchanged looks, ashamed to have been caught in such a blatant trap whilst Jacks just stared off into the distance.  
  
“You know, she’s right. If I want to get back to Luthnar its’ General Organa I’d have to convince.” Jacks said mildly dejected as he turned his attention back to his food.  
  
And that was the end of that.  
  
“TT-3, I like that.” Tobes had finally joined them again.  
  
-  
  
“Dryden, Aya, you two are to escort Jacks to Luthnar. His safety is your top priority. He is to return to his old quarters, pick up the disc, and return. No detours.”  
  
“Disc? But general, he told us-“ Dryden interrupted.  
  
“I know what he told you, and this is what I’m telling you Mr. Rholar. He is picking up a disc. Keep an eye out, if anything even remotely suspicioua happens, I want you out of there. Disc or no disc. Do you understand?” Aya and Dryden nodded. The general turned and walked over to Jacks. Her eyes were hard and narrow and as they met his. “I am sending you off with two soldiers and a ship. I expect all of them to come back safely.”  
  
Jacks’ face was serious and unreadable. He nodded at her. Dryden and Aya looked at each other, wondering how exactly Jacks had convinced the general to allow this little trip.  
  
But allowed it she had. Dryden thought to himself from the seat on the vessel. The flight wasn’t long, thirty minutes through hyper-space, over all the entire trip should take under two hours. He sat quietly and watched Jacks. The man across from him seemed calm, if bored. There was something about him that piqued Dryden’s interest. On the surface he seemed transparent if fickle, but clearly there was more to him.  
  
“You can sit next to me if you want a closer look.” If Dryden had to pick the most valuable skill that Jacks had, it was his ability to look so smug while speaking in such an even tone. Was he being flirtatious or was he just mocking him? Both options seemed equally likely.  
  
Dryden flushed a little and cleared his throat.  
  
“So, how exactly did you convince the general to let you do this?”  
  
“I told her the truth.”  
  
“Planning on telling us the truth too?”  
  
“Supposedly I already did.” He said with a joyful chuckle.  
  
Dryden sighed. He really should have seen that coming.  
  
“So Jacks, how did you get involved with the resistance?” In the past few days of babysitting Jacks, Dryden had discovered that the other man was not exactly an unknown figure in the rebel forces. While he was mostly known by those with ties to intel, amongst them he had still managed to create a reputation for himself. Granted, the reputation seemed to be ‘the pain in the ass with decent intel,’ but it was a reputation none the less. Dryden figured if he had to suffer the other man’s company, he might as well get to know him better.  
  
“I’ve been doing this for years. You’d be amazed at how many times I’ve met the business end of a Stormtrooper’s blaster.”  
  
“Years?” This part caught Dryden off guard. He was aware that Jacks had been a contact for a while, but for years? “You’ve been involved for this long and you haven’t joined the resistance?”  
  
“I don’t kill and I don’t die.” Jacks paused for a second. “Not necessarily in that order. Those are my rules, being a soldier always seemed to go against them.” He had a small smirk on his face. It seemed loaded with meanings that Dryden couldn’t seem to unpack. “Besides, I’m not a fan of any hierarchy I’m not at the top of.” Jacks had a sparkling laugh.  
  
“Still, a contact for years? The general must trust you a lot then.” Dryden was saying this as much to himself as to Jacks.  
  
“I’m not sure I’d go that far, but she knows that I’d never do anything to hurt her cause.” There was a silence and jack shifted in his set. A smile suddenly appeared on Jacks face, thick and warm. “What about you? Do you trust me?” Jacks gave Dryden a wink.  
  
“I trust the general knows what she’s doing.” Dryden returned flatly. Jacks huffed and rolled his eyes.  
  
“Buckle in for landing.” Aya’s voice came in through the speaker. Jacks’ smile reappeared, and he leaned back in his seat. The ship shook as it entered the atmosphere. Inevitable even in a sleek Starfighter, re-entry was pretty violent in transport vessels like this one where aerodynamics were not top priority. The shaking evened out quickly and after a few minutes of entering the atmosphere, the ship docked in a port. Both men unbuckled themselves, Dryden stood to wait for Aya, while Jacks remained seated, a giant smirk on his lips.  
  
“How long is it from here to your old home?” Aya asked as she entered the passenger hold.  
  
“About a fifteen minute walk.”  
  
Aya nodded and paused in thought for a second.  
  
“I’ll stay here with the ship. Be back in an hour. Contact me if anything happens.” She locked eyes with Dryden and he nodded. She turned to face Jacks, her eyes hard and piercing. “Stay close to Dryden, follow instructions. If you do anything even remotely suspicious, he’ll throw you over his shoulder and drag you back here. Do you understand?”  
  
Jacks stood up, his face somewhere between shocked and amused. He flashed her a grin.  
  
“You got it.”  
  
She kept her eyes on him, glaring a few moments more. She was deadly serious, as far as she was concerned this mission was an unnecessary risk, and she was not about to put her brother’s life in danger because of… whatever it was that was going on. She turned and walked to a panel that was beside a door. Pressing a button, the doors slid open and sunlight poured in to the hold.  
  
“One hour.” She repeated as they stepped outside the ship and began walking down the street.  
  
-  
  
The lights in the room were bright and harsh. General Leia Organa sat her desk, reviewing line, after line, after seemingly endless lines of data on a computer. She looked away from the screen and sighed, rubbing her eyes with her fingers. On the screen was a list of planets, all potential new locations for a base. After Star Killer, she wasn’t sure how safe they were on D’Quar. Sure, for now they had been left alone, but for how long?  
  
The doors whooshed open and a slight silhouette appeared in the door way. Jacks sauntered in, a nonchalant air about him. Leia however had known Jacks long enough to know he was posturing. She knew that this was a perfectly honed performance covering a vast network of clacking gears. She didn’t need the force to sense this, She was intimately familiar with the tactic. He sat down across from her, greeting her with a silent nod. She returned the gesture.  
  
“I need to go back to Luthnar.” He said without about as much ceremony as one would use to toss an empty wrapper. Leia smiled.  
  
“Why?” In a certain way Leia enjoyed these kinds of conversations with Jacks. They were quick and direct, none of the verbal waltzes that others were prone to.  
  
“I left a disc with sensitive information back at home.” He looked past Leia as he said this. He shifted in his seat and paused for a second in thought. He turned and looked at Leia. “Aya and Dryden brought me straight here after the rescue. I never got the chance to bring it with me.”  
  
“I see.” Leia looked at him unimpressed. “Care to try again?”  
  
Jacks raised an eyebrow and smiled.  
  
“Pardon me?”  
  
“Jacks, I don’t know why you seem so intent on returning to Luthnar, but you are.” Jacks gave her an inquisitive look. “Oh, I’ve already heard about it.” She gave him a smug look which he responded to with a smirk. “So if this is really what you want, how about you tell me the truth. You and I both know you’d never risk your neck like this for whatever intel you supposedly left behind. We both know that whatever intel you supposedly left behind isn’t worth risking your neck for. So tell me the truth, Jacks.”  
  
Jacks’ expression changed. He looked distant and hard. He was internally debating what to do.  
  
“I need to contact my sister. My com is back on Luthnar.” He said, glaring at the ground.  
  
“There are plenty of coms here for you to use.” Leia was merely stating facts.  
  
“We have a pair of coms. We only use them to contact each other. If I try to reach her from any com but my own, she won’t answer. She’ll think it’s a trap.” Jacks still refused to bring his gaze to Leia’s.  
  
“I see.” Leia paused and considered his situation.  
  
“General, you of all people know what it’s like to lose family to this stupid war. They can’t go through that again. Not when I’m here, safe and sound.”  
  
“Jacks-“  
  
“General,” His voice had meaningful inflection. “I am not one of your soldiers, I’m a civilian. This isn’t what I signed up for.” Jack’s paused for a second and took a deep breath. “Your cause may be close to my heart, but I am not my mother. The cause was her first priority. That was her choice, but I made a different one.”  
  
Leia sighed. A well of conflicting emotions arose within her. The general inside her dismissed his plea. It was foolish. It was such a high risk for no reward. Yet the leader inside of her demanded she allow it.  
  
Jacks’ help came with strings attached; she knew it and she accepted it. He had the skills to join the resistance and become a great reconnaissance agent like his mother before him, but that was not the path he chose. Instead he invested his energy into being good enough to be useful yet mediocre enough to fly under most everyone’s radar. Yet in spite of it all he had managed to be an asset. He always came through alive and with something to show for it, no matter how little. While his family might be his number one priority, much to his own chagrin, the rebellion was a close second.  
  
The reality was that in his own way Jacks had shown such loyalty to her and he was due for some loyalty back.  
  
But this might just be too big a favor to ask.  
  
The two sat in silence; Jacks’ face for once expressing genuine emotion. Determination, worry, and hope. Leia needed to decide soon.  
  
The doors whooshed open once again and a new figure rushed in through the door.  
  
“General, I’m sorry to interrupt.” Poe’s voice was vibrating with excitement. He turned to nod to the person sitting across from her, and gave a small smile, mildly surprised yet pleased, when he realized it was Jacks. “It’s Finn. He woke up.”  
  
Leia smiled briefly and looked down in thought for moment. After careful deliberation she looked at Jacks.  
  
“One pilot, one escort, one chance. That’s all you’re getting Jacks.” Jacks’ smug grin surfaced again. This time laced with as much gratitude as he felt comfortable showing.  
  
“Thanks Leia. I guess I’ll excuse myself then.” Leia nodded to him in response. As Jacks turned to leave the room Poe placed a hand on his shoulder and offered an official Poe Dameron thousand credit smile.  
  
“Jacks, I heard you were around terrorizing everyone. How are you?”  
  
Kriff, Jacks couldn’t stand that goody-two-shoes.  
  
“This Finn guy that woke up…” Jacks trailed off and Poe crooked his head, unsure of where Jacks was going with this. “That’s the news you got earlier?”  
  
“Yeah, sorry, did you see my little outburst?” Poe flushed a little and laughed.  
  
“Yeah.” He turned and looked at Leia, making sure she was listening to the conversation. “Didn’t you get those news two hours ago?”  
  
Poe’s face went from slightly flushed to bright red. Jacks saw Leia look at the other man with an incredibly amused expression.  
  
“Never mind, you can fill me in after you tell the general. I’ve got some plans to make.” Jacks flashed a none too convincing smile and he left the room.  
  
‘Whoosh’ he heard the door close behind him.  
  
-  
  
“Jacks, It’s so good to see you again.” Jacks held the com up and grinned. He looked at the hologram of his sister with an uncharacteristic softness. “How long are you going to be hiding with the resistance?”  
  
Jacks shrugged.  
  
“It’s hard to say. I managed to piss off an ill-tempered red head. Apparently he’s very important and very thorough.”  
  
The woman in the hologram sighed and rubbed her temples with one hand. Her tone was equal parts annoyed and amused.  
  
“It’s good to see you again Jacks, I’m glad you’re safe.”  
  
“Tell dad I said hi. Don’t tell him about the whole…” Jacks gestured. “enemies in high places thing. You know how he worries.”  
  
“I hope you know that while you’re out there belligerently yelling your way into and out of problems, I’m the one who has to come up with elaborate lies so our father won’t worry.” Her voice was draped with a sparkling laugh.  
  
“Hey, you do a spectacular job of it. Now, I better go before my buddy figures out what I’m doing here.” He gave a solemn look. “Take care.”  
  
“You too.”  
  
‘Click.’  
  
Jacks looked around the room. He’d lived on this planet, in this room for a few months. It was a pity he had to leave so soon, and had to leave so many things behind. Idly pacing around the room, Jacks ended up wandering to his dresser. It had two pictures. There was an old one, his mother, father, sister, and himself. He used to look at that picture for so long when he was younger. Whenever he felt like he was forgetting what his mother looked like. There was another, his father, his sister, and him. This was more recent. They were laughing, his sister pushing him away as he tried to pick her up, their dad hollering at them, wearing some sort of a ridiculous hat.  
  
Jacks smiled at the pictures and then whirled around. With a new found sense of urgency he sped out of his room and into the living room. Dryden had been leaning on the couch, looking bored out of his mind, and was caught off guard by Jacks’ sudden entrance. Jacks rushed on past him and into the kitchen, going to a cabinet, opening the door and rummaging through it.  
  
“What are you doing?” Dryden’s voice was exasperated.  
  
“I’m looking for a box.”  
  
“You’re supposed to be looking for a disc.” His tone was sharp and annoyed.  
  
“Already found it, now I’m looking for a box.”  
  
“Look,” Dryden was about to lose his temper. “If you found the disc, then we have to leave. Supposedly that’s the reason we came here.”  
  
Jacks finally stood from the cabinet, a collapsed box in his hands. Quickly he assembled it.  
  
“I know you don’t really care, but when you guys rescued me, which you did really sloppily might I remind you, I was taken directly to the base. I have nothing there except a few pairs of these-“ Jacks gestured to his clothes. “Horrid little sweats. So now that I’m here I’d like to take a few of my belongings with me. Because by the time I can come back here again, they aren’t going to be around.”  
  
Dryden shifted uncomfortably. On the one hand the longer they stuck around, the greater the chance that something would happen. On the other, Jacks had a point. Dryden sighed and gave Jacks a nod.  
  
“Anything I can help with to make things go faster?”  
  
“Yes, run to the bathroom, on the sink there should be a small tub of hair custard. Grab that for me. I’ve been having to make do with this junk hair gel.”  
  
Dryden nodded and turned to walk to the bathroom. After taking a step he stopped and pivoted on his heels, facing Jacks once again.  
  
“Wait, where did you get that hair gel from?”  
  
“Your bathroom.”  
  
Dryden closed his eyes and sighed. Taking the time to first find a heaping helping of calm from some nook in the deepest darkest reaches of his soul, he made his way to the bathroom. The sooner this was done, the sooner they could head home.


End file.
